TRIUMPH OF THE FIREPROOF CURTAIN.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLV, Issue 13745, 9 May 1908, Page 2 (Supplement)

TRIUMPH OF THE FIREPROOF CURTAIN.

DRURY LANE ABLAZE. Early on the morning, of March 25, the report spread through the metropolis that London's historic playhouse, the Theatre Royal,'Drury Lane, had, for • the third time in its history, been destroyed by fire. Happily this proved to be an exag- j gerated estimate of the,, actual state of i affairs, in itself sufficiently grave. The theatre was attacked by fire, and very seriously damaged. The stage and'y/ings were entirely destroyed, and little remains of this part of the. .house save the outer walls. But the great, auditorium was untouched, and its escape is attributable to ' the presence of the fireproof curtain dividing the house. The greatest credit is due to the fire brigade, which, perhaps, has never proved more rapid ;; or efficient in its work than whza confronted with a task which taxed all its powers. Only a rough estimate of the loss sustained can yet be made, but it is likely to amount to £30,000. . The. consequence of . all this damage is that the promised revival of " The Sins of Society" will have to be postponed, if . not abandoned. It is stated, however, that it is hoped that all will be ready for the autumn production. ' . dramatic 'phone message. '■ The* announcement of , the outbreak was made at the firemen's headquarters with dramatic brevity over the telephone. "We are Drury Lane Theatre. The pit is on fire." , The early morning workers hurrying to their day's labours along the Strand and through the streets in the neighbourhood of " the Lane" had the' full benefit of the spectacle. It was - one which brought a thrill of horror to many, for close to the theatre there is a huge block of County Council tenements, and' many older dwellings are packed around. Sparks from the burning theatre might have set any one of these buildings alight, and sparks, in ever ; increasing volume, shot over the roof arid brought alarm to the residents of Simmonds tenements. The more nervous of the occupants rushed into the street, and from there Watched with anxious faces the danger which threatened their homes. For a time it seemed as if the brigade would not be able to control and check the progress of the flames. Fiercer and ever fiercer they raged, and the wind was blowing them- in threatening volume towards Holborn where they fell upon the house tops. So imminent was the peril here, and at the County Council dwellings, that some of the residents began to move their furniture, but when they saw the firemen turning their hose upon the threatened houses they desisted, and soon all danger Was over. . Half an hour after the outbreak the roof over the stage fell in with a- great crash, followed by an upward flight of thousands of sparks. With them rose a dense body of .smoke, caused for the most part by the play of water on the flames. ISSIDK THE THEATRE. .' By far the more remarkable scene, however, was that to. be witnessed inside the vast auditorium. The asbestos fireproof curtain presented the appearance of an enormous window alive with glowing-red light, against»which the flames from behind were beating with relentless, but happily unsuccessful, fury. Every part of the house was lit-up as powerfully as if the electric lights had been switched on. The canvases covering the boxes and seats were plainly visible. Every passage was distinctly.marked. There was not a detail of the handsome furnishing that an artist might not have sketched by the light coming from behind the asbestos • curtain. Every now and .again' the debris of rafters and woodwork could be seen dropping behind the cloth., and the fall of the roof provided a pyrotechnic display which '"Old Drury,'' has never equalled; with all. its glittering of gold and gems. r But the fireproof curtain held its own. The flames .even split in two places without breaking through., No stronger testimony to; its worth .has been provided by a fire, in any theatre, and the chief of t-jjp brigade was loud in its praise... It demon-, strated the fact that if. an audience had been in their seats at- the time of the conflagration, they would have; run .no risk from the flames. • _• ■ By . a quarter to six o'clock, owing., to the snlendid work of j the. firemen, it was possible to signal the." stop'.* message, and a-large number .of the steamers withdrew. Within the. next, half-hour the fire had been completely overcome, but until comparatively late" in. the afternoon a couple of hose were kept at work, , playing upon the smouldering ruins of the stage. , The loss is covered by insurance. The cause of the lire has not yet been ascertained.